+OK 8925 octets Received: from mail2.halcyon.com (mail2.halcyon.com [206.63.63.60]) by mail1.halcyon.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id TAA16115 for ; Wed, 24 Feb 1999 19:02:07 -0800 (PST) Received: from ripple.dundee.net (ripple.dundee.net [206.249.104.12]) by mail2.halcyon.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id TAA12650 for ; Wed, 24 Feb 1999 19:02:04 -0800 (PST) Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 21:00:34 -0600 (CST) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: "ClearingHouse" From: "eca@fastlane.net" Subject: [education-consumers] Dumbing down math in Texas Reply-To: "eca@fastlane.net" Precedence: bulk Status: ===================================================================== The following letter and editorial is from Richard Neill, a Texas State Board of Education trustee. Jeanne eca@fastlane.net ==================================== X-From_: rneill@flash.net Sun Feb 21 21:51:30 1999 From: rneill@flash.net To: "Fellow Conservatie" Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 21:52:26 -0600 X-Distribution: Moderate MIME-Version: 1.0 Subject: Dumbing Down of Math in Texas Reply-to: rneill@flash.net Priority: normal Last year I wrote an editorial concerning the "Rain Forest Algebra" textbook that was later adopted for the public schools of Texas. Due to the efforts of the conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education, this book became very controversial and was not widely accepted in local school districts. The liberals in Washington DC and Austin have begun to push even harder to have their watered down Math curriculum forced upon the school children of Texas. I think you will find the following editorial very interesting because it traces the money trail which allows the liberals in the federal government to implement their agenda in the Texas public schools. This editorial is already making waves. It has been sent to over 600 media outlets in Texas. I co-authored this editorial piece with David Bradley, a fellow conservative on the State Board of Education. There is definitely cause for alarm with regard to the Math curriculum in Texas. Please forward this email message to your contacts. If you receive duplicate copies of this message please notify me. Thank you. Sincerely, Richard Neill State Board of Education, District 11 ***************************************************************** THE FUZZY MATH EXPERIMENT: SHOW ME THE MONEY! By Richard Neill and David Bradley Everyone knows that progressive education reforms of the last generation gave us "Johnny Can't Read." Regrettably, our math curriculum is undergoing similar reforms. So, now, Johnny won't be able to add, subtract, or make change, either. To eliminate the reading problems,Texas and California have replaced the failed Fuzzy Reading Experiment (called "whole language") with a proven winner: Phonics. Accomplishing that change for the better, one wonders why some school districts are rushing to enroll in the CONNECTED MATH PROJECT -- aptly termed, "fuzzy math." Could the answer be "money"? We're already seeing evidence of the shift to "fuzzy math" in the poor algebra scores reported last August by the Texas Education Agency. No mention was made of the "fuzzy algebra" books adopted over the objections of these two board members and others. One in particular, Addison Wesley's FOCUS ON ALGEBRA, paid a lot of attention to jalapeno recipes, Vietnam war protests, multi-cultural poets and extreme environmentalism. However, quadratic equations weren't introduced until after page 100. The teacher's edition even emphasized that correct answers are not always needed. It's no wonder our students performed poorly. Parents of Plano middle school students recently complained to the State Board of Education that their children had been falling behind in math -- ever since Plano ISD began piloting the Fuzzy Math Experiment. Plano is using Scott Foresman/Addison-Wesley's CONNECTED MATH , just one of many "fuzzy math" books now available to districts. Its teacher's manual freely admits "students may not do as well on parts of standardized tests assessing computational skills ...." And a 1996 study by CONNECTED MATH'S creators confirms that its sixth- and seventh-grade students display poor computational skills on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Instead of teaching students how to solve problems, "fuzzy math" lets students INVESTIGATE their own solutions, while providing no model. Students are kept busy -- reinventing the wheel. The result? Plano parents are hiring tutors. So, what's the allure of the Great Fuzzy Math Experiment? First, districts across the state are being promised "reform." The real bait, however, is "free" taxpayer money and "free" teacher training. Can anybody turn that down? Exposing the Trojan Horse revealed even further enticement. Who would have suspected the federally-funded NSF (National Science Foundation) of promoting "fuzzy math," paying for development of CONNECTED MATH , and luring school districts with huge grants? Yet, here's the money trail: Austin ISD received a $5 million NSF grant for "fuzzy math" teacher training in 1997. Beaumont ISD accepted a $3.3 million NSF grant last November. In October, NSF announced $10 million for "Rural Systemic Initiatives" through West Texas A&M University. In San Antonio and El Paso, NSF-funded "Urban Systemic Initiatives" are underway. The spider working with all these flies is SSI (Statewide Systemic Initiative), a federally-funded program developed by state-funded Dana Center at the University of Texas. SSI says "its most important work to date is in directing the implementation of the CONNECTED MATHEMATICS PROJECT curriculum in 43 schools across the state." However, after several years of subjecting other people's kids to the Great Fuzzy Math Experiment, SSI refuses to provide Plano parents and others with their findings. Should we be surprised by SSI's secrecy? Remember, we've already seen the poor algebra scores, weak computational skills -- and Plano parents are hiring tutors. Before children are plunged any further into this experiment, parents in Austin, Beaumont, San Antonio, El Paso and rural areas would be wise in asking SSI and their school districts about these failures. Another concern: After funneling all this "free" tax money into training teachers in the CONNECTED MATH PROJECT, what textbooks do you think will be adopted come spring? Anything but "fuzzy math"? Yes, it's appalling that the lure of money is directing the education of our children, and that tax dollars are moonlighting as influence- peddlers in the textbook market. But The Real Travesty Is That Students Whose Districts Take The "Fuzzy Math" Bait Will Lose Even The Option Of A Rigorous, Traditional Math Course. So, how can you safeguard your child's mathematics education? (1) Obtain a copy of Texas Public Policy Foundation's report on math textbooks, 210-614-0800; website: http://www.tppf.org; and (2) Speak to your local school board. They are choosing math books now and in the next few weeks -- books which will be used through 2005. Don't Let Your Schools Be Baited By Money At The Expense Of Your Child's Education. Bio: Richard Neill and David Bradley were elected in 1996 to four-year terms on the State Board of Education. Richard Neill, representing Tarrant County, is the father of three and a dentist residing in Fort Worth. David Bradley, the father of two and a businessman in Beaumont, represents Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Jefferson and parts of Harris County. ===================================================================== EDUCATION CONSUMERS CLEARINGHOUSE networking and information for parents and taxpayers on the internet Subscriptions & Archives: http://education-consumers.com or You are currently subscribed to education-consumers as: arthurhu@halcyon.com TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Send a blank email to leave-education-consumers-989462S@lists.dundee.net ===================================================================== For less mail, click on the following link and choose 1) a daily digest, 2) a daily list of subjects, or 3) no mail (read postings on Web) http://lists.dundee.net/scripts/lyris.pl?enter=education-consumers For more help & info: http://www.lyris.com/help or .